"Thus it is said that one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements."
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

War on Terrorism

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Partnered Coalition Operations Continue Despite Insider Attacks

By Nick Simeone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2012 – Partnered
operations between coalition and Afghan forces are continuing despite a
decision by the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan to scale them back
in response to a series of deadly insider attacks, Pentagon Press Secretary
George Little said today.

On Sept. 16, Marine Corps Gen. John R.
Allen ordered that all combined International Security Assistance Force and
Afghan operations below the battalion level must be approved at the regional
command level following attacks by Afghan soldiers and police that have killed
51 members of the coalition this year.

At a Pentagon news conference today,
Little told reporters he did not know how long such operations would be scaled
back, but that some patrols below the battalion level do continue. “This is a
temporary measure,” he said, “and let me be clear as well that operations with
our Afghan partners continue.”

Last week, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the pullback as precautionary
and partly in response to the violent anti-American demonstrations that broke
out across the Islamic world after an American-made video surfaced on the
Internet defaming the Prophet Muhammad. “The protection of our personnel is
paramount, and we will continue to make adjustments as required over time to
ensure their security,” Little said.

The spokesman said it would be up to the
command in Afghanistan to determine how long partnered operations are
curtailed, and that Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta strongly supports Allen’s
decision. He called coalition operations “successful” and stressed that the
U.S. goal in Afghanistan remains the same.

“We see Afghans more and more in the
lead for their own operations and for their own governance. That is the goal
here, that is what we’re training toward,” he said.

“At the end of the day,” he added, “that
is how success is going to be defined: whether Afghans can provide for their
own security and govern themselves.”